Chihuahuas are feisty and charming little dogs, and when it’s time to find new food, you want to ensure that your pup is getting only the best. There is a definite advantage to feeding wet or canned food to your dog, but with the plethora of wet dog foods available, it can be daunting when you start shopping.
These reviews are designed to make your life easier, as we have found foods for a variety of different needs. We also give you a few tips on choosing canned food for your small but mighty best friend.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2022
The 10 Best Wet Dog Foods for Chihuahuas
1. Purina Bella Small Breed Dog Food Trays — Best Overall
| Main ingredients: | Meat by-products, chicken, water |
| Protein content: | 8% |
| Fat content: | 5% |
| Calories: | 97 kcal/tray |
The best overall wet dog food for Chihuahuas is Purina’s Bella Small Breed Dog Food. It was made specifically for toy and small dogs, making it perfect for a Chihuahua’s nutritional needs. It’s a pâté in porterhouse steak flavor (and in other flavors) with savory juices, which makes it tasty and easy to eat for toy dogs. It comes in peel-and-serve trays, so you don’t have to worry about leftovers. It’s been formulated to be nutrient dense to support a small dog’s energy and metabolism.
The issues are that the trays are not resealable if you want to use only a small amount (like a topper), and the first ingredient is a meat by-product. By-products are fine if they are named (like chicken by-products), but unnamed means you won’t know what animal they came from.
2. Purina IncrediBites Variety Pack Canned Dog Food — Best Value
| Main ingredients: | Beef broth, chicken broth, chicken |
| Protein content: | 11% |
| Fat content: | 5% |
| Calories: | 86 kcal/can |
The best wet dog food for Chihuahuas for the money is Purina Beneful IncrediBites Variety Pack. It has three flavors (beef, chicken, and salmon) and is formulated specifically for small dogs. It includes gravy, vegetables, and real meat in a shredded texture that is small enough for your Chihuahua’s mouth and teeth. It also contains 23 essential minerals and vitamins.
However, two of the three flavors (chicken and salmon) contain chicken. In fact, the first ingredient in the salmon recipe is chicken, so if your dog is sensitive to chicken, the beef recipe is the only one that doesn’t contain poultry. Additionally, all three recipes include meat by-products.
3. Hill’s Science Diet Sensitive Stomach Dog Food — Premium Choice
| Main ingredients: | Chicken broth, turkey, carrots |
| Protein content: | 8% |
| Fat content: | 9% |
| Calories: | 253 kcal/can |
Hill’s Science Diet Sensitive Stomach & Skin is our pick for a premium choice wet dog food. It’s suitable for dogs with stomach issues and keeps their skin and coat healthy with vitamin E and omega-6 fatty acids. It is made with real meat, including chicken and turkey, and veggies, including carrots and spinach, in a stew texture, which is slow cooked.
However, being a premium choice also means it’s expensive, and not all dogs will enjoy the stew texture. Since it’s not thick like a pâté, it might not be as filling.
4. Cesar Puppy Classic Loaf in Sauce — Best for Puppies
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, chicken liver, beef lung |
| Protein content: | 9% |
| Fat content: | 6% |
| Calories: | 113 kcal/tray |
Cesar’s Puppy Classic Loaf in Sauce is a great choice for tiny Chihuahua puppies. The trays are small, so you won’t have leftovers, and they’re peel-and-serve. The main ingredient is beef sourced in the U.S., and it’s grain free if your pup has a sensitivity to grains. It contains the right kind of vitamins and minerals for a growing puppy and is in pâté form, which is easy to eat.
Unfortunately, it is expensive, and picky puppies might not like it.
5. Purina ONE SmartBlend Adult Dog Food — Vet’s Choice
| Main ingredients: | Lamb and chicken broth, liver, lamb |
| Protein content: | 10% |
| Fat content: | 3% |
| Calories: | 350 kcal/can |
Our vet chose Purina’s ONE SmartBlend Adult Canned Dog Food for your Chihuahua pup. It has chunks of meat (lamb) and brown rice in a gravy. It contains high amounts of antioxidants from selenium, zinc, and vitamins A and E, and it’s a nutritionally balanced diet for all adult dogs. It’s also tasty, well-priced, and easily digested and works well with weight management.
But sometimes, the consistency in the food is off. So, sometimes, you’ll open a can with a large amount of meat and a small amount of gravy, and other cans might have less meat and more gravy. Also, some Chihuahuas might have difficulty eating the bigger chunks of meat.
6. Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Senior Dog Food
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, chicken broth, chicken liver |
| Protein content: | 5% |
| Fat content: | 5% |
| Calories: | 398 kcal/can |
Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Senior Canned Dog Food is formulated for older Chihuahuas. It has real chicken as the main ingredient, which can help support healthy muscles, and a combination of fruits and vegetables. It contains chondroitin and glucosamine, which support your senior dog’s mobility and joints. There are no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or any by-products.
One of the issues is that it comes in large cans (12.5 oz.), which means plenty of leftovers for the small Chihuahua. While it is a pâté food, some cans are runnier than others.
7. Cesar Classic Loaf in Sauce Variety Pack Dog Food Trays
| Main ingredients: | Beef, chicken, chicken liver |
| Protein content: | 9% |
| Fat content: | 4% |
| Calories: | 91% and 105% |
Cesar Classic Loaf in Sauce Variety Pack has four recipes: beef, filet mignon, grilled chicken, and porterhouse steak. Each recipe starts with real meat, U.S. beef or chicken, and added vitamins and minerals for a nutritious and healthy meal. It comes in those handy peel-and-serve trays, which usually means no leftovers, and it’s in a pâté form with sauce. The small tray size is also ideal for Chihuahuas.
But while variety packs are ideal for literally adding variety to your dog’s diet, some Chihuahuas might not like one or more of the flavors. Additionally, each recipe contains added color.
8. Weruva Paw Lickin’ Chicken Grain & Gluten Free Dog Food
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, water, potato starch |
| Protein content: | 10% |
| Fat content: | 4% |
| Calories: | 5268 kcal/can |
Weruva Paw Lickin’ Chicken in Gravy Grain-Free Dog Food is made with real shredded chicken, which means it hasn’t been processed and is high in protein. It also has high moisture content, is low in carbs, and is free of carrageenan, grains, and gluten. It’s easy to digest and doesn’t contain any artificial ingredients.
Unfortunately, it is quite expensive, and any dogs that like eating pâté might not enjoy the shredded texture.
9. Purina Pro Plan Complete Essentials Adult Dog Canned Food
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, water, liver |
| Protein content: | 9% |
| Fat content: | 6% |
| Calories: | 442 kcal/can |
Purina Pro Plan Complete Essentials has chicken as the main ingredient, which makes for a high-protein diet. Twenty-three essential minerals and vitamins are also included for a balanced and nutritious meal. These vitamins and minerals help support the immune system and a healthy coat and skin. There are no added artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors.
However, it contains meat by-products, and picky dogs might not like it. Also, these large cans might be too big for little dogs, which means more leftovers.
10. Merrick Lil’Plates Mini Medley Variety Pack
| Main ingredients: | Deboned chicken, beef, deboned turkey, broth |
| Protein content: | 8% |
| Fat content: | 3% |
| Calories: | 93% and 97% |
Merrick Lil’Plates Mini Medley Variety Pack is a variety pack with three flavors: pot pie, beef stew, and turkey dinner. All recipes are served as a meat and vegetable stew with real veggies and meat in gravy. It’s formulated for small breeds using all-natural ingredients and no grains. There are also no added artificial ingredients or fillers, and it’s a peel-and-serve dog food.
Unfortunately, the peel part of opening up these trays might be difficult for some owners, and it is a bit pricey. Additionally, like with other variety packs, some dogs might not like all the flavors.
Buyer’s Guide: What to Look For in Wet Dog Food for Chihuahuas
In this guide, we go over a few points to consider when shopping for dog food for a toy breed. Chihuahuas have different nutritional needs than larger breeds, so it’s important to find a food that will keep your pup healthy and happy.
By-Products
Not all by-products are necessarily bad. For the most part, named by-products, such as beef by-products, do have nutritional value in your dog’s food. Once the meat is removed from the carcass, things like tendons, bones, and organ meat are considered the by-products.
You should just be warier if the by-product is named “animal by-product” or “meat by-product,” as you don’t know where the meat is coming from. This is even more important if your dog has any food allergies or intolerances.
Meat
All dogs need meat to maintain their health. The ingredient list on the wet food should have a meat product as the first ingredient. This means real meat is the main ingredient and will provide your dog with high-quality protein. In wet food, you’ll also see water and/or broth among the top ingredients, which adds extra moisture to your dog’s diet, which is a good thing. But you should aim for whole meat as the first ingredient.
Chunk Size
The size of the chunks in a stew-type wet food should be easy for your dog to eat. Feel free to ask the company from which you’re purchasing the food how large the chunks are, or read through customer reviews. All the foods on this list are meant for small dogs, but only a few are specifically made for small breeds.
Grain Free
Unless your vet has explicitly told you to only feed your Chihuahua food without grains, you shouldn’t look for grain-free food. Grains are healthy additions to dog food, so before purchasing any food labeled as grain free, speak to your vet. In fact, you should talk to your vet if you are changing your Chihuahua’s food, anyway. They can advise you on the right food to give your dog and the best way to switch to it gradually.
Conclusion
Our favorite wet food for Chihuahuas is Purina’s Bella Small Breed Dog Food, which is formulated specifically for toy dogs. Purina IncrediBites Variety Pack comes in a tasty, shredded texture with real meat and veggies.
Hill’s Science Diet Sensitive Stomach & Skin is our premium choice for dogs with stomach and skin issues, and Cesar’s Puppy Classic Loaf in Sauce is a great choice for tiny Chihuahua puppies. Purina ONE SmartBlend Adult Canned Dog Food was chosen by our vet because it works well for weight management and has a reasonable price.
We hope that these reviews will help you find tasty and healthy food for your Chihuahua so both of you will be happy.
Featured Image Credit: Vitaly Titov, Shutterstock
